Blog

Going from frightened new mother to “mom”

5.11.2017

Becoming a mom is supposed to be a magical time, filled with joy and promise. But for some mothers, the magic of this time is clouded by frightening diagnoses and procedures.

Like Whitney Smith. Just three weeks after her daughter Hailey was born, she was told her tiny child had hydrocephalus, or a fluid build-up on her brain. She would need brain surgery before she turned one month old.

There are no words to describe the fear and heartache. It’s overwhelming and all-encompassing. But perhaps the worst feeling is helplessness. A mother’s job is to protect her child. But how? Who do you turn to? You’d do anything – but where do you start? How can you help your child get better? You are truly lost.

Hailey’s surgery was a success. But after, Whitney and husband Kirk were told Hailey was at risk for developmental delays and would need therapeutic intervention. Whitney said at that moment she knew exactly where to turn: The Bell Center.

There she found the therapy her infant daughter needed. With the help of the therapists and staff, Whitney found her courage, her direction and her mission.

She also found a loving community of support that helped her replace fear with hope, and heartache with the happiness every new mother deserves. They taught her how to foster Hailey’s growth and development, and how to relax and enjoy her child. They helped her experience the joy only a mother-child bond can give.

The Bell Center helped Whitney Smith go from frightened new mother to “mom.”

“With the help of The Bell Center, I’ve begun to harness the ferocity, dedication, and love that every mama has for her baby into the contours of the unique mother-daughter bond I share with Hailey,” says Whitney